At least 139 migrants, including 15 children, have died after a boat carrying more than 300 people capsized off the coast of Djibouti while heading to Yemen on Thursday night, turning their desperate journey in search of a better life into tragedy.
Images show International Organisation for Migration (IOM) workers assisting survivors and handing out drinking water. Nearby, forensic teams and Djibouti Coast Guard personnel inspect a beach strewn with shoes and clothing, with wreckage from the boat visible in the water.
The vessel was reportedly carrying 305 people when it overturned near Guhere, north of the port town of Obock, overnight from Thursday into Friday. The cause of the disaster remains unknown.
The death toll rose from 109 to 139 after another 30 more bodies were recovered, with Djiboutian authorities continuing their search for those still missing.
According to the IOM, 82 people survived the shipwreck, all Ethiopian nationals. The agency is providing medical care, psychological support, food and other emergency assistance to 64 survivors at its Migrant Response Centre in Obock.
The migrants were attempting to cross the dangerous Bab el-Mandeb Strait towards Yemen, a key transit point for people from the Horn of Africa hoping to reach Gulf countries in search of work and a better life.
The IOM has recorded more than 20,000 migrant movements from Ethiopia into Djibouti since September 10. In 2025 alone, more than 900 migrants died or went missing along the Eastern Route, according to the agency.
Source: Viory
